Team Stats

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CLAREMONT, CA. – The Pomona-Pitzer Women's Volleyball Team ran out of the fifth set magic on Saturday afternoon against Chapman University, falling 3-2 (16-25, 23-25, 25-19, 25-15, 15-13). The Sagehens looked dominant on the offensive end early, taking a 2-0 set lead, but the Panthers battled back and won three straight sets to take the match. Julia Zwaal led the team with 15 kills and Isabel Kelly added 14 kills. Vicky-Marie Addo-Ashong and Makylee Fruge combined for 14 assisted blocks.

Season Impact: The Sagehens are now 12-13 overall and 9-4 in the SCIAC, tied for third with Cal Lutheran in the SCIAC standings.

The two sides were fairly even in the beginning of the first set, trading points and struggling to string a run against one another. However, the Sagehens looked to have found a breakthrough when they emerged from a 10-10 deadlock by scoring four straight, finishing the run with a huge block by Addo-Ashong and Fruge. Ahead 17-14, the Sagehens went on a mini run when Kayla Krilove crushed a spike from the right side of the net followed by a kill from Chloe Kerstein. Leading 21-16, the Sagehens went on a 4-0 to cap the set thanks to four straight errors by the Panthers.

Early in the second set, the Sagehens found themselves trailing 4-1, but they bounced back with three straight points, including two big hits from Addo-Ashong and Kelly. The two sides remained close for most of the set, but after being tied at 14 apiece, the Sagehens broke out with three straight points, starting with a combined block by Fruge and Addo-Ashong. Zwaal followed with a spike and Kerstein exposed a gap in the Panthers' formation for a service ace to make it 18-14. The Panthers rallied back to tie the match at 19 apiece and the two sides traded points as the set neared its end. Tied at 23-23, the Sagehens managed to clinch the set after a hit by Addo-Ashong followed by a block by her alongside Fruge.

The Panthers' offense regrouped and made some adjustments to combat the Sagehens' attack. The changes paid off as the Panthers managed to hold off the Sagehens to win the third set 25-19. Chapman followed up with an impressive 25-15 win in the fourth set to tie the match after frustrating the Sagehens' offense with some crucial digs and quick toss attacks.

Chapman pounced to a 5-1 lead early in the fifth set, but the Sagehens strung three straight points to come within one. The two sides exchanged points, but the Panthers managed to shake off the Sagehens with a 3-0 run to take an 11-7 lead. Trailing 14-9, the Sagehens mustered an impressive comeback, scoring four straight, but the Panthers prevented the deuce thanks to a match-sealing kill from Sophie Srivastava.

Up Next: The Sagehens will next host cross-street rival Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Wednesday, October 24 at 7:00 p.m.